Yucaipa’s Rep. Paul Cook Votes for Improving Care for Veterans

Recent legislation presented in the House of Representatives to improve veterans’ care and strengthen oversight within the Veterans Administration (VA) passed the House overwhelmingly. Yucaipa’s Rep. Paul Cook (R-8th District-Apple Valley) voted in support of the legislation.

HR 5895 includes provisions to care for seven million patients through the VA, including funds for opioid abuse prevention, mental health services, suicide prevention outreach and rural health initiatives. The bill also aims to modernize the VA’s electronic health record system and will speed up claim processing for more than 450,000 veterans who are waiting for the compensation they earned.

HR 5895 also includes several administrative initiatives to improve veterans’ care. It strengthens the oversight and accountability of taxpayer dollars to ensure they are being used to best benefit our veterans. Several new measures in the legislation will hold the VA more accountable and will also address decisions that have wasted money in the past. Additionally, HR 5895 will require rigorous reporting on the status of VA claims processing and implement stronger oversight and limits on VA construction projects.

“This legislation provides crucial improvements in caring for our veterans, too many of whom are still not getting the care they need,” said Rep. Cook. “It also puts in place increased oversight at the VA to ensure claims are being processed in a more timely manner and make sure we aren’t wasting dollars on bureaucracy that should be going to our veterans.”

Rep. Cook’s 8th District includes the city of Yucaipa. In addition to the Apple Valley District Office, Rep. Cook maintains a Yucaipa District Office at 34282 Yucaipa Blvd. in Yucaipa. The phone number is: 909-797-4900. Please call for the hours of availability before visiting the Yucaipa office.